From http://australianit.news.com.au/articles/0,7204,21386222^15316^^nbv^,00.html

PUBLISHING and Broadcasting Ltd executive chairman James Packer says he is confident in the future of free-to-air television, and in particular the company's Channel Nine network.

Mr Packer also believes subscription TV service Foxtel, of which PBL own 25 per cent, will continue to go from strength to strength, delivering value for the company's shareholders.

He said the technological changes driving the media industry will continue, and urged the federal government to encourage Telstra to invest in high speed broadband services.

"Technology will continue to drive change in the industry," Mr Packer said during a speech at Australian Subscription Television and Radio Association 2007 conference in Sydney.

"PBL is well placed to deal with the road ahead."

PBL also owns 50 per cent of Foxtel and 33 per cent of Sky Television Australia.

Foxtel was delivering on all is key performance indicators (KPIs) and, together with the Fox Sports channel, will continue to "go from strength to strength", Mr Packer said, as subscription television audiences increase in the years ahead.

And while free-to-air television would continue to be the "most watched" medium, both services had a bright future.

Mr Packer added that telecommunications giant Telstra should be encouraged to invest in high speed broadband, and be allowed to make a commercial return on its investment.

Telstra last year scrapped plans to build a multi-billion dollar high speed network after falling out with the competition regulator.

James Packer backs Nine Network, Pay TV

From http://www.theage.com.au/news/Business/James-Packer-backs-Nine-Network-Pay-TV/2007/03/15/1173722609293.html

Publishing and Broadcasting Ltd (PBL) head James Packer has thrown his weight behind the Nine Network, the business love of his late father, Kerry.

But Australia's richest man told the pay TV industry that subscription television was becoming an increasingly powerful force.

Mr Packer, the executive chairman of PBL, also backed Telstra as being best placed to deliver a national high-speed broadband network.

Describing the infrastructure as a top-order priority, he called on the federal government to formulate regulation that allowed the telco to earn a commercial return for high speed broadband.

Addressing a conference for the Australian Subscription Television and Radio Association, Mr Packer said pay TV network Foxtel, which PBL partially owns with Telstra and News Corp, and Fox Sports, were great assets with a tremendous future.

"We expect Foxtel and Fox Sports to go from strength to strength and make us very happy shareholders for a long time to come," he told the conference in Sydney.

PBL and News Corp each own 25 per cent of Foxtel, and a half of Premier Media Group, the owner of Fox Sports.

Mr Packer, who took control of PBL more than 12 months ago following the death of his father, said the company's investment had been made for "sound business reasons and with a clear eye on the future".

He said Foxtel was benefiting in profit, subscriber numbers, lower churn (turnover of subscribers) and higher average revenue per customer, as viewers demanded more personalised forms of entertainment, a factor he said was at the core of future media success.

But he said free-to-air (FTA) television had a bright future, continuing to be the most watched communications medium for many years to come.

"Let me state for the record my enthusiasm for and confidence in both free-to-air television in general, and the Nine Network in particular," Mr Packer said.

PBL separated media assets such as Nine, its 33.3 per cent stake in 24-hour pay TV news service Sky News, ACP Magazines and online portal ninemsn, into a new company called PBL Media six months ago, selling half the assets to private equity firm CVC Asia.

PBL grossed about $3 billion from the deal, leaving it cashed up for acquisitions, and has already announced plans to buy affiliate TV station Channel Nine Perth for $136 million.

Mr Packer said FTA TV would always deliver advertisers the biggest audiences and remain, for many years, the mainstay for local news and drama production.

And while pay TV was expected to attract more advertising dollars in line with its growing audience base, the real driver of the sector's revenue would continue to be subscriptions.

Commenting on broadband, Mr Packer said Australia needed a high-speed broadband network to be internationally competitive, and Telstra was best placed to deliver it.

"The government needs to encourage Telstra through regulation that enables it to invest and receive a commercial return," he said.

"This is a top-order priority for the nation."

Telstra last year scrapped plans to build a multibillion-dollar high-speed network after falling out with the competition regulator, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.

Mr Packer said Telstra management was doing a "terrific job" in the face of regulatory challenges

Locals take to online cricket streams

From http://www.theage.com.au/news/web/locals-take-to-online-cricket-streams/2007/03/15/1173722621370.html

Australians dismayed at the Nine Network's decision not to broadcast Australia's first three Cricket World Cup matches are watching them live and illegally over the internet.

It appears to be the only option left for cricket fans without Foxtel who want to tune in to the live action.

The website Streamick.com aggregates hundreds of live TV feeds from channels across the globe, including Britain's Sky Sports 1, which is scheduled to show almost all of the World Cup matches.

It can be accessed for free by anyone with an internet connection.

Nine holds the TV, internet and radio rights to broadcast the Cricket World Cup in Australia, according to the ICC Cricket World Cup website. But it has decided not to show any matches from the group stages - including Australia's clashes with Scotland, Netherlands and South Africa.

A Nine spokeswoman said the network did not have the rights to show the group matches.

"As soon as they've finished the group one stage and it goes to [the] Super Eight series, that's when we'll be joining the broadcast," she said.

However, Nine is sub-licensing its television rights to Fox Sports Australia, which plans to broadcast every match live through Foxtel.

The ABC has separately secured rights to broadcast some match coverage over the radio.

Sydneysider Neerav Bhatt, 25, was so dismayed at Nine's decision not to show Australia's group matches that he published instructions on how to watch them illegally, using Streamick.com, on his blog.

"I think they've really underestimated how annoyed people are, because there is actually no legal option left," Bhatt said in a telephone interview.

Bhatt, an IT consultant, said a number of his friends had approached him seeking legal ways to watch the matches, but he could not find a solution.

He said that, even if he now wanted to sign up to Foxtel in order to watch the matches on Fox Sports, "Foxtel won't connect people before the end of the World Cup.

"Channel Nine's just profiteering and onselling the games to Foxtel instead of doing it themselves."

Publishing and Broadcasting Limited owns Nine, a 25 per cent stake in Foxtel and 50 per cent of Fox Sports.

The free live internet broadcasts will add to the array of online distractions facing workers over the next eight weeks.

Lost productivity as a result of employees jumping online for cricket updates during the day is expected to cost businesses millions of dollars.

Computer security firm Marshal - which produces tools that allow employers to block certain sites on their network - has estimated the cost would be $371 million.

Its figure is based on one in 10 of Australia's 10 million employed people, with an average wage of $27.30 an hour, spending 30 minutes a day catching up on the World Cup. The tournament will run over 27 working days.

From http://kalgoorlie.yourguide.com.au/detail.asp?class=national%20news&subclass=general&story_id=566440&category=general

The major free-to-air networks who have dismissed the success of Foxtel and Austar have now turned to the subscription TV suppliers for original Australian content.

An offer has been tabled to Foxtel by one of Australia's three commercial networks to bring the reality series Australia's Next Top Model to free-to-air, Foxtel executive director of television and marketing Brian Walsh told AAP.

While he wouldn't single out which network had made the offer, the program, now in its third season on Fox8, would be a perfect fit for Network Ten, the home of successful youth-oriented brands such as Australian Idol and Big Brother.

The offer is another indicator that free-to-air commercial television is now looking over its shoulder at subscription TV suppliers, rather than brushing them off.

Mr Walsh revealed during a panel discussion at the Australian Subscription Television and Radio Association (ASTRA) conference in Sydney that two more of the Foxtel network's programs had also sparked interest from free-to-air programmers, with the Seven Network and Nine Network in a bidding war for one of them.

He would not specify which shows were subject to negotiations.

The issue of offering subscription TV's growing stable of original content, which includes successful dramas Love My Way and Dangerous along with a number of locally produced lifestyle shows, to free-to-air was a contentious issue within the network, Mr Walsh said.

"The people who pay for their subscription shouldn't be short changed, but showing one of our locally produced programs on free-to-air would expose Foxtel's Australian product to a larger number of viewers," he said.

As part of Australian content laws 10 per cent of Foxtel's production expenditure must be devoted to local drama.

Until recent years Foxtel had invested in major network dramas such as McLeod's Daughters through its Hallmark Channel.

But with Love My Way, Dangerous and the up-coming Satisfaction, made by and for Foxtel, the network has changed the landscape of Australian TV drama.

The conference's keynote speaker James Packer, executive chairman of Channel Nine's parent company Publishing and Broadcasting Limited which is a minority shareholder in Fox Sports, said the future of subscription TV looked bright and did not threaten free-to-air.

In January this year Foxtel subscriptions were up 45 per cent on the same month last year but with more than 90 per cent of the network's revenue raised through subscriptions, it does little to dent free-to-air's advertising income.

The network, combining its more than 100 channels, claims to be the second most watched in the country behind the Seven Network and number one in Sydney.

Foxtel boasts a 25 per cent audience share nationally between 6pm and midnight although the major networks don't acknowledge the combined figure as a fair indication of ratings

ATUG award praises NewSat in innovative satellite farming solution

From http://www.computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;1548005184

New satellite deal saves water, improves productivity

ATUG, the peak user group body in the telecommunications sector, has recognised the contribution of NewSat Limited (ASX:NWT), Australia’s leading independent satellite services provider, to improving the use of broadband technology, this time for its new applications and improvements in the efficiency and productivity of Australian farming.

At an awards ceremony last week in Sydney NewSat was the only corporation honoured in the comms business which offered a solution focussed specifically on delivering enhanced services to remote Australia, “the bush”.

The awards were sponsored by the Australian Government, Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts on the same day as the Department Minister, Senator the Hon Helen Coonan announced $162.5 million for the filling of broadband blackspots across the nation.

“NewSat is always committed to providing two way broadband internet connection to the bush through its systems based around its own earth stations, teleports, located in Adelaide and Perth,” said Mr Mike Kenneally, General Manager –Sales, for NewSat.

“We will not only actively support these sorts of initiatives of the government but will continue to press the boundaries of broadband technology as shown by the ATUG awards.

“NewSat has teamed with a range of partners on this project including Victorian State Government Department of Sustainability and Environment through its Spatial Information Infrastructure unit and will be releasing further landmark news on the development of the technology next month. . “Before the introduction of new precision Controlled Traffic Farming Australian farmers had been unable to precisely manage their crops resulting in damaged crops, overlapping and underlapping spraying of crops, wasting fertiliser, fuel and water, and compacting the soil with heavy farm machinery tracks which further reduces the yield and most importantly in times of drought, further impedes water retention and efficiency,” said Mr Kenneally.

“Big problem? You bet, with more than a million hectares across Australia under some form of controlled traffic farming even previous systems of the process (prior to this NewSat broadband solution via satellite) are not delivering optimal performance.

“With millions more hectares not under these techniques they are missing out completely on the benefits. The gap between peak CTF performance as evidenced by our new system and the previous one, and none at all, is tens of millions of dollars of yield and wasted water resource annually.

“Many farmers traditionally have driven their farm equipment where their fathers did, had paddock fences where it suited outmoded forms of agricultural practice, and accepted the losses to crops from machinery damage and inaccuracies. A lot haven’t even considered soil compaction as a water waste hazard.

“But it is now widely accepted that the reduction in heavy duty machinery traversing the paddocks is a major saver for soil compaction and with that comes the water retention and efficiency benefits.

“In a time of drought, and recognition of the importance of sustainability of resources generally, this aspect of precision farming is critical to its enhancement, delivering up to 15% improvement according to some researchers, for farming outcomes,” he said.

Copy ends

About NewSat (www.newsat.com) NewSat Limited (ASX: NWT) is a publicly listed company whose reliability, high quality and efficient services have helped it become one of the world’s fastest growing satellite communications service providers. In addition to hosting and distributing internet services, NewSat is able to provide network solutions for a wide range of private, commercial and government users.

NewSat provides a full range of managed communication services, TT&C and carrier monitoring from its teleports in Perth , Adelaide to Australia/Oceania, Asia, the Middle East and Africa

In addition, NewSat operates multiple Broadband IP Services based on technologies developed by ViaSat, Gilat, Hughes, Comtech and iDirect.

For further information please contact:

News Centre at NewSat: 61 3 9674 4644 or by email at news@newsat.com or Mike Kenneally General Manager - Sales, NewSat 61 3 9674 4644, or by e-mail at mike.kenneally@newsat.com

NZ Viewers switch off costly Super 14

From http://www.stuff.co.nz/3992990a1823.html

The World Cup conditioning programme will cost the New Zealand Rugby Union at least $3 million, while Sky's audience for the Super 14 has fallen about 30 per cent.

The costs of having the 22 All Blacks out of the first half of the Super 14 come on top of an already-budgeted $3 million price-tag for winning the World Cup.

But the $6 million in expenses should be easily off set by the participation fee the IRB will pay the NZRU, and which could be as high as 3 million, or close to $9 million.

The NZRU will pay the five New Zealand Super 14 franchises $1.52 million for the conditioning programme, the money split between $750,000 for lost gate revenues and $35,000 for each All Black they had out - $770,000 in total.

That means the Hurricanes will pocket $210,000 for not having Jerry Collins, Rodney So'oialo, Chris Masoe, Andrew Hore, Piri Weepu and Jason Eaton available till next week's match against the Lions in Johannesburg.

They should get between $150,000 and $200,000 for lost gate revenue from the Blues and Brumbies matches in Wellington, both of which were attended by about 10,000 fewer spectators than normal (the match in Palmerston North was a full house).

That equates to about $290,000 in lost gate revenue, but the NZRU will pay each franchise only half of their lost gates and up to the $750,000 cap.

Four of the five franchises have reported a fall in season-ticket sales, with only the Chiefs bucking the trend, and crowd figures are down everywhere.

The Blues have been hardest hit with four home games, while the Chiefs play their third game in Hamilton tomorrow night. The Crusaders have their second at home on Saturday night and the Highlanders have played two games in Dunedin.

The NZRU has also had to employ 22 more players to cover the missing All Blacks and, at a base salary of $65,000 for each player, that has cost another $1.43 million.

Add to that the expense of bringing the 22 All Blacks together at different times, their accommodation and the extra trainers and medical staff needed in the franchises, and the bill tops $3 million.

A less tangible cost is the number of viewers who have tuned out from the first weekend.

Sky Television keeps figures close to its chest, but two sources have said viewing interest in the Super 14 has taken a massive hit, with one suggesting it was down by as much as 30 per cent.

Sky spokesman Tony O'Brien wasn't quoting viewer numbers but said they were not the main focus for the network.

"There's no doubt the early start to the season, the Black Caps' success and the conditioning of the All Blacks probably hurt (rugby's viewing) statistics. But we place most value on subscriptions as a driver.

"Through February we are ahead of where we were last year (and) we think we are ahead as a result of and because of the early start to the Super 14."

O'Brien said Sky had a gain of 48,000 subscribers in February last year.

Hurricanes chief executive Greg Peters acknowledged crowds were down, but said there had been positives from not having the All Blacks.

"It's thrown up some new talent like Serge Lilo, Thomas Waldrom and Alby Mathewson, and the games that we've played in at home have been exciting games.

"The crowd at the Blues and Brumbies games went off.

"So from that perspective, given the wider goal of wanting to win the World Cup, we weren't too bad."

From http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20070314005757&newsLang=en

HAUPPAUGE, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Globecomm Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: GCOM), a global provider of end-to-end value-added satellite-based communications solutions, announced today that the Company has been awarded two contracts valued at $5.0 million to design, install and commission direct-to-home (DTH) video infrastructure in Asia.

Under the first contract, Globecomm will install two eleven-meter antennas, provide multiple receive only antennas for program acquisition, and provide monitoring and control software and all the related subsystems enabling the customer to deliver a modern DTH digital television service.

The second contract is for the continued expansion of an existing customer’s rapidly growing DTH service. Globecomm has designed and installed multiple aspects of the existing infrastructure and has been selected as the natural choice for this phase of the customer’s rollout plan.

David Hershberg, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of Globecomm Systems Inc., said, “Multiple studies cite a DTH subscriber growth boom in Asia over the next ten years. Globecomm is well positioned to capitalize on this growth as the Company possesses extensive experience in providing high quality broadcast infrastructure throughout the region.”

Based in Hauppauge, New York, Globecomm Systems also maintains offices in Washington, DC, Hong Kong, the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates and Afghanistan.

Certain of the statements contained in this press release may be deemed forward-looking statements. Such statements, and other matters addressed in this press release, involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Among the factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from these statements and matters include risks and other factors detailed, from time to time, in the Company’s reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including, but not limited to, the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, its Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and its Current Reports on Form 8-K, which the Company urges investors to consider. These risks and other factors include, but are not limited to general and political and economic instability in the United States and abroad, including the hostilities in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Intelsat today announced its awards to leading South African companies for their excellence in providing satellite-enabled services throughout the continent. This year’s recipients demonstrated unparalleled growth of their service offerings, technological innovation and application diversification.

Intelsat’s honorees and the categories for recognition are:
MultiChoice, for Excellence in Direct-To-Home Services
Vodacom, for Excellence in Satellite Cellular Backhaul Services
Internet Solutions, for Excellence in Growth of Network Broadband
Telkom South Africa, for Excellence in Portfolio Diversification
Wireless Business Solutions, for Excellence in Internet Services ITS
BlueSky Satellite Communications, for Excellence in Corporate Networks
Q-KON, for Excellence in Corporate Networks
Sentech, for Excellence in Infrastructure Support Provisioning
Verizon Business, for Excellence in Global Business Solutions
Gateway Communications, for Excellence in Innovative Cellular Backhaul Services

“Intelsat’s more than 40-year history of providing satellite communication services to African-based broadcast, telephony and broadband service providers continues to grow. Whether it’s the global broadcast of the 2010 World Cup or the expansion of local cellular networks, Intelsat will continue to build services hand-in-hand with its partners,” said Flavien Bachabi, Intelsat’s Regional Vice President, Africa. “We are very proud to recognize our award recipients for their excellence in serving Africa with a diverse array of applications.”

The award recipients will be honored at an invitation-only evening event culminating with dinner and a ceremony on 14 March in Sandton, South Africa.

About Intelsat

Intelsat is the largest provider of fixed satellite services worldwide and is the leading provider of these services to each of the media, network services/telecom and government customer sectors, enabling people and businesses everywhere constant access to information and entertainment.

Intelsat offers customers a greater business potential by providing them unrivaled resources with ease of business and peace of mind. Our services are utilized by an extensive customer base, including some of the world’s leading media and communications companies, multinational corporations, Internet service providers and government/military organizations. Real-time, constant communication with people anywhere in the world is closer, by far.

Contact

Nick Mitsis
nick.mitsis@intelsat.com
+1 202 944 7044

Half of UK TVs now digital

From http://www.advanced-television.com/2006/news_archive_2006/Mar12_Mar16.htm#h4

Nearly half of the UK’s television sets were digitally enabled by the end of last year, according to latest figures from Ofcom. The television regulator has reported that 48.5 per cent of the UK’s 60 million TV sets were connected to a digital device by the end of 2006, compared to 44.7 per cent in the previous quarter.

During the final quarter of 2006 a further one million UK households acquire digital TV and in total 77.2 per cent of homes now have some form of digital TV, up from 73.3 per cent in the third quarter of 2006.

Sales of Freeview devices reached a high with 2.4 million, including a record number of TV sets with integrated digital tuners. The figures are 24 per cent up on Q4 in 2005. Nearly 700,000 analogue terrestrial homes acquired Freeview for the first time during the period and Freeview devices are now in a total of 10.6 million homes – up from 9.3 million in Q3 2006.

U.K Broadcasters fight for high definition spectrum guarantees

From http://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?xml=/money/2007/03/15/cnspectrum15.xml

The broadcasters warned that Ofcom's proposals to auction off a huge slice of the airwaves ahead of analogue switch-off would leave them unable to offer HD, with its superior pictures and sound, to Freeview viewers.

They fear that wealthy mobile phone companies would outbid them, leaving Sky and cable as the only available routes for those customers wanting HD.

Their "HD For All" pressure group wants a third of the capacity between 470MHz and 862MHz set aside for HD broadcasts on Freeview, the fast-growing free-to-air digital terrestrial service that boasts 9m viewers.

The group, which also includes manufacturers such as Sony and retailers such as Dixons owner DSG International, says that would be enough to support five new HD channels [allowing BBC1 and 2, ITV1, Channel 4 and Five to be offered in HD].

HD For All stepped up its lobbying campaign ahead of a critical deadline next week. Responses must be in by Tuesday to Ofcom's proposals on the broadcast spectrum that comes free between 2008 and 2012 as terrestrial television converts to digital.

The media regulator has argued that a free-for-all auction will ensure the spectrum goes to whichever organisations value it most. Spectrum would also be tradeable and could be used for any legal purpose.

Unveiling the plans before Christmas, Ofcom chief executive Ed Richards said setting aside spectrum for any particular usage - such as HD - presumed ''a level of insight, indeed omniscience, that we do not have'.'

He has since faced criticism over what will be the biggest change in the way Britain's airwaves are managed for almost half a century. Lord Lloyd-Webber, for instance, has warned musical theatres face extinction because Ofcom's proposals could make wireless microphones too expensive to use.

HD For All refused to comment on yesterday's meeting but released new research claiming that HD has more mass market appeal than Ofcom believes. It said that 96pc of Freeview users, 91pc of Sky satellite users and 92pc of cable users want HD to be available on Freeview.

A spokesman added: ''Nine million-plus Freeview television viewers will feel cheated when they discover they will be unable to watch programmes in HD if plans by Ofcom go ahead.

"This year 4m HD-Ready TV sets are expected to be sold in the UK, up from 2.4m in 2006. But Ofcom's plans mean that Freeview viewers who have bought HD-Ready TV sets will be forced to pay for a satellite or cable subscription."

Ofcom has said it would be technically possible, to offer up to five HD channels on Freeview at switchover without the need for more spectrum. It publishes final proposals this summer.

PARIS, March 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Eutelsat Communications (Euronext Paris: ETL) confirms that all broadcast clients formerly using the Group's HOT BIRD(TM) 2 satellite were transferred in the night of March 14 to HOT BIRD(TM) 8.

The transfer, which implies no change in reception parameters for DTH homes and cable operators, was carried out as a precautionary measure after an anomaly was observed on HOT BIRD(TM) 2 in the satellite's power sub-system. This anomaly is currently under full investigation.

About Eutelsat Communications

Eutelsat Communications (Euronext Paris: ETL, ISIN code: FR0010221234) is the holding company of Eutelsat S.A.. With capacity commercialised on 23 satellites that provide coverage over the entire European continent, as well as the Middle East, Africa, India and significant parts of Asia and the Americas, Eutelsat is one of the world's three leading satellite operators in terms of revenues. At 31 December 2006, Eutelsat's satellites were broadcasting over 2,400 television channels and 1,000 radio stations. More than 1,000 channels broadcast via its HOT BIRD(TM) video neighbourhood which serves over 120 million cable and satellite homes in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. The Group's satellites also serve a wide range of fixed and mobile telecommunications services, TV contribution markets, corporate networks, and broadband markets for Internet Service Providers and for transport, maritime and in-flight markets. Eutelsat's broadband subsidiary, Skylogic, markets and operates services through teleports in France and Italy that serve enterprises, local communities, government agencies and aid organisations in Europe, Africa, Asia and the Americas. Headquartered in Paris, Eutelsat and its subsidiaries employ 490 commercial, technical and operational experts from 27 countries.

From http://www.space-travel.com/reports/ISRO_May_Use_Kerosene_As_Rocket_Fuel_999.html

In a bid to reduce the cost of launching satellites, space scientists are exploring the use of kerosene to propel rockets into outer space, a first such attempt in the country. Scientists at ISRO's Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) and the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC) are carrying out research for the possible use of kerosene in the semi- cryogenic engines, which if successful will make satellite launches cheaper.

Space scientists are engaged in research on the use of a mix of aviation grade kerosene and liquid oxygen as fuel for its semi-cryogenic engine, ISRO sources said.

Usually, a mixture of liquid hydrogen and oxygen is used as rocket fuel where hydrogen works as the fuel and oxygen as the oxidiser.

At the VSSC, scientists are studying the possibility of replacing hydrogen with kerosene.

"It is not the normal kerosene we use in stoves, though we call it kerosene, it actually is highly refined paraffin," the sources said.

"Kerosene is just one of the options being tested," they said.

Finance Minister P Chidambaram has proposed an additional allocation of Rs 25 crore in this year's general budget for research in the area.

He has also proposed to increase the allocation to the Department of Space by Rs 861.6 crore to Rs 3858.6 crore for the next financial year.

Russia and the US have been using aviation-grade kerosene to launch rockets.

Inx Media to launch 12 channels

From http://www.business-standard.com/common/storypage_c.php?leftnm=10&autono=277746

With an eye on establishing a strong regional presence, ex-Star India CEO Peter Mukerjea’s Inx Media Pvt will launch nine regional language channels out of the 12 channel being planned in next two years.

The other three channels will include an English news channel, a music channel and a general entertainment channel - all of which will be launched within this year.

The regional languages being contemplated includes Bengali, Gujarati, Punjabi and Bhojpuri amongst others. The focus of the regional channels sources say would be on the city viewers.

The project will be spearheaded by Indrani Mukerjea as its chairperson and is estimated to attract investments to the tune of $100 million to begin with, industry sources said.

The news company, Inx News Pvt, will be 26 per cent owned by the entertainment company whose CEO will be Vir Sanghvi.

The role of Peter Mukerjea in the company was, however, not clear due to a non-compete clause with Star TV India which holds him from joining a rival channel for six months. Sources however say Mukerjea will be the key player who will join in.

The entertainment company, Inx Media has been financed by Temasek Holdings via Dunearn Investments, New Silk Route, New Vernon, Kotak and SREI Group. “None of our investors will hold more than 25 per cent stake in our company but I can not get into the specific details of who owns how much,” Mukerjea said.

Altogether, Inx media will also hire 600-700 people for running these 12 channels. “we will hire 500 people within this year before we launch our news, entertainment and music channels,” Indrani Mukerjea, the promoter of the Inx Group said.

These three channel will use the C-band transponders on Insat-4A for which neccessary tie-ups have been done.

A portion of the equity will also be kept aside as sweat equity for key employees both in the entertainment and the news companies.

The company today filed for the uplinking and downlinking licence in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. It also filed its application in the Foreign Investments Promotion Board (FIPB) for foreign investments in the channel.

Initially, the three channels will be free to air and the company, according to Mukerjea, is already in talks with Tata Sky and Dish TV, the two direct to home (DTH)) players.

14/03/07

Apsattv is up and down due to a routing issue with the host. Some of you can get in fine but some isp in NZ are having problems. Try using a web based anonymizer service if you can't get in or a anonymous browser like Torpark.

(Craig's comment, ok so the layout is not to many peoples taste but its more uptodate than Lyngsat. Lyngsat update will return shortly, so expect a huge backlog of reports up to 2 week out of date)

From the Dish

No Lyngsat!

NEWS

BayCity becomes exclusive NZ Ipstar operator

From http://www.itwire.com.au/content/view/10421/127/

BayCity Communications, a new subsidiary of the BayCity Group, has been appointed the exclusive national service operator (NSO) for Ipstar broadband satellite services in New Zealand.

BayCity Communications will be responsible for the wholesale supply of all Ipstar products and services, including broadband Internet access, bandwidth, user terminals and other valued added services such as VoIP, VOD, and IPTV. Ipstar New Zealand, the local subsidiary of the owner of the Ipstar satellite, Shin Satellite of Thailand, will continue to operate the Ipstar gateway in Auckland.

BayCity has committed to purchase a minimum of $NZ100m of Ipstar bandwidth and user terminals over the 12 years of the contract. The deal requires BayCity to deploy 60,000 Ipstar user terminals within five years and use the full capacity of Ipstar bandwidth over New Zealand within four years. According to Ipstar, the New Zealand market for it services includes over 125,000 households, of which 70,000 are business and farming potential users who require broadband for managing their day-to-day businesses.

BayCity’s rural services arm, Farmside Limited, has been deploying Ipstar services since 2004. According to Ipstar, Farmside is the leading provider of Ipstar satellite broadband services in New Zealand and has received both national and international attention for its success in bringing broadband access to rural communities.

The Ipstar satellite, launched in August 2005, is the world's largest commercial satellite. It provides broadband services to both enterprises and consumers throughout 14 countries in the Asia-Pacific region. It has a total data throughput capacity of over 45Gbps and is designed to provide users with data speeds of up to 4Mbps on the forward link and 2Mbps on the return link. It has seven on-board antennas that have been configured to create 112 spot and regional beams in the Ku and Ka bands.

Shin unit reassuring foreign customers

From http://www.bangkokpost.com/Business/14Mar2007_biz98.php

Shin Satellite Plc is continuing to expand operations abroad, with recent deals for its broadband iPSTAR satellite in New Zealand and India.

The deals come even as company executives seek to reassure overseas clients that political uncertainties in the local market will not disrupt its operations.

The government has put heavy pressure on Shin and Temasek to divest the Shin Satellite holdings for national security and political reasons.

But sources said a potential deal was likely months away, given the uncertainties over Shin Satellite's concession agreements and the need to negotiate with overseas creditors and clients.

Companies that have expressed interest in buying the shares include the telecom operators Samart and Loxley, as well as a coalition centred around the investment company Dragon One.

Shin Satellite executives said they had fielded numerous questions from overseas clients, which account for more than 70% of the company's business.

''We've tried to explain to our clients that Thai politics is completely separate from the legal and contractual realities. So far, business hasn't been affected too much,'' one Shin Satellite executive said.

The company yesterday announced that subsidiary iPSTAR New Zealand had signed BayCity Communications as the national service operator for New Zealand.

BayCity will make a minimum purchase commitment of bandwidth and user terminals of NZ$100 million (2.28 billion baht) over a 12-year period.

Shin Satellite executive chairman Dumrong Kasemset estimated the New Zealand market for iPSTAR was 125,000 households. BayCity is committed to deploying 60,000 user terminals within five years.

Last week, Shin Satellite signed an agreement with the Indian government to establish a ground station. It hopes to eventually service 600,000 customers in India.

Shin Satellite has also finished installing three ground stations in China, raising iPSTAR service capacity to one million in the country.

Currently iPSTAR has 60,000 customers and expects to reach 100,000 by the end of the year.

Shares of Shin Satellite (SATTEL) closed unchanged yesterday on the SET at 7.45 baht in trade worth 41.14 million baht.

Sea Launch Explosion Due To Engine Failure

From http://www.space-travel.com/reports/Sea_Launch_Explosion_Due_To_Engine_Failure_999.html

An unsuccessful rocket launch under the Sea Launch project in late January was caused by engine failure, the press secretary of Russia's federal space agency said Tuesday. A Sea Launch Zenit-3SL rocket carrying a commercial communications satellite exploded shortly after liftoff from an oceangoing platform in the Pacific on January 31.

"The intergovernmental commission comprising representatives of Ukrainian and Russian organizations - the developers of the Zenit-3SL carrier rocket ... has completed its work. It has established that the engine failed after a metal particle accidentally went into the engine's pump," Igor Panarin said.

Panarin said the commission has proposed recommendations whose implementation will provide for the continued use of Zenit-3SL carrier rockets.

Viktor Remishevsky, deputy head of Russia's federal space agency Roskosmos, earlier said rocket launches under the Sea Launch project would resume in 2007, adding that the Odyssey platform had suffered only minor damage.

Established in 1995, the Sea Launch consortium is owned by Boeing, Kvaerner ASA of Oslo, Norway, and SDO Yuzhnoye/PO Yuzhmash of Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine, and RSC-Energia of Moscow.

The company launches its vehicles from the equator, which allows rockets to carry heavier payloads than they could from other locations due to the physics of the Earth's rotation.

"Chang´e I" satellite to launch this year

From http://www.cctv.com/english/20070313/104253.shtml

China's Commission of Science and technology Industry for National Defense, has announced that lunar exploration satellite, "Chang'e I" will be launched later this year.

The Commission's Chief, Zhang Yunchuan, revealed the plan in an exclusive interview with CCTV, on the sidelines of the current NPC and CPPCC sessions.

Zhang Yunchuan says the "Chang'e I" satellite is progressing as expected and could be launched according to plan.

Zhang Yunchuan said, "Choosing a window for lunar satellite launches is very rigorous. So, we have to select the most favorable time to make the satellite enter into orbit. I estimate the launch will be carried out in the second half of this year."

In addition, Zhang says that consultations between China and Russia on a joint project to explore the space environment on Mars, is progressing.

The plan was recently mentioned in China's 11th five-year program in developing space science.

Zhang Yunchuan said, "The two governments are showing interest in this project. We will first have discussions about technology. I think this can be achieved."

Zhang also says that China and Russia are now coordinating in terms of technology. They will discuss business-related issues next, including preferential technological resources as well as costs. A deal is expected to be signed this year.

CapitaLand buys stake in HK TV station

From http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporebusinessnews/view/263723/1/.html

SINGAPORE: CapitaLand has acquired a one-third stake in Hong Kong's East Asia Satellite Television for S$129 million.

East Asia Satellite Television holds a 60 percent stake in Cyber One Agents, which owns a 1.4 million square feet parcel of land in Cotai in Macau.

Cyber One intends to develop a prime integrated leisure and entertainment centre, to be named Macao Studio City, on the site.

The remaining interests in the project are held by eSun and New Cotai. - CNA/ir

Chinese set-top box makers, MPEG LA face off over patent fees

From http://www.eetimes.com/news/latest/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=197801387

Shenzhen, China -- Chinese makers of digital set-top boxes are on a collision course with MPEG-2 patent owners over unpaid royalties, setting the stage for what will likely be intense haggling in coming months.

As Chinese set-top box makers ramp up production, the MPEG Licensing Agency is warning them either to pay $2.50 per set-top box or face legal action. Chinese companies are cringing at that number, saying it will wipe out most of their profit. They are countering with offers as low as 30 cents per box.

MPEG LA isn't in the mood to dicker. "We do not make concessions to one part of the world vs. another, especially because products find themselves all over the world and coming from all kinds of places," said Larry Horn, president of MPEG LA.

MPEG LA is expected to meet with the China Video Industry Association in the next few weeks. Although the license fee is non-negotiable, MPEG LA has wiggle room on the payment terms for money already owed, Horn said. He could not say when a resolution might be reached.

The stakes are high. China is not only a major exporter of digital set-top boxes, but it is also one of the fastest-growing markets for digital terrestrial and cable TV. ABI Research released a report this week predicting China will be a leader in shipments, cranking out 75 million digital cable and 9 million IP TV boxes by 2012.

"The Asia-Pacific pay-TV industry still has considerable room for growth, especially in countries like China and India, where the base of potential customers is huge, but there is still relatively low pay-TV and digital penetration," wrote Serene Fong, ABI's broadband research analyst.

Fong believes China will also be a leader in subscriber growth rates. Growing affluence in cities such as Shanghai and Hangzhou is leading consumers to spend more on TV and video services. Consumers are also eyeing technologically advanced set-top boxes for viewing digital broadcasts over traditional analog TV sets and accessing interactive services.

China's digital cable market is already nearing 13 million subscribers. "We think the market will probably double this year," said Bob Krysiak, the president of Greater China for STMicro- electronics.

Chinese system manufacturers have long resisted the power of licensing agencies like MPEG LA, a consortium of patent holders such as Apple Computer Inc. and Sun Microsystems Inc. that charge a royalty of $2.50 per system.

"Since Chinese companies did use their technology [in set-top boxes], it's reasonable for the MPEG-2 organization to charge the fee, although they charge too much," said Bai Huang, a manager in the digital networking unit of Konka, one of China's top consumer electronics makers. Konka only recently signed a license, according to MPEG LA.

MPEG LA and patent holders have had trouble collecting royalties from Chinese makers of DVD players, which claim the combined fees of $15 to $20 per system are too high. That tussle dragged on for years, fanning the flames of discontent in China over its reliance on foreign technology. It also became a catalyst to accelerate local standards development.

LHC moved to cancel licences of private TV channels

From http://www.thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=6480

LAHORE: Justice Hamid Ali Shah of the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday sought reply from the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) over the operations of two private television channels.

The judge directed the Pemra to submit a report whether or not two of the private television channels were telecasting their transmission in accordance with the rules and regulations. The court issued this direction while taking up a petition filed by a local lawyer Muhammad Arshad and also referred the petition to the chief justice of the LHC to constitute a larger bench for further hearing of the petition.

The petitioner-advocate has submitted that the respondents' television channels were telecasting derogatory information about current national issues especially in relation to the reference filed by President Pervez Musharraf against Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry.

The petitioner said that almost all the private television channels were trying to outpace each other in maligning the Army and the judiciary, which are the two highly placed and esteemed institutions of our homeland. He submitted that while issuing licences to the TV channels their owners are being bound by certain terms and conditions including observance of respect of sovereignty, security and integrity of Pakistan.

The television channels are bound to ensure that their programmes do not encourage violence, terrorism, extremism, militancy or hatred to comply with the rules framed under the Pemra Ordinance, 2002, he added.

He said that according to the rules of the Pemra, no programme would be aired or distributed which passes derogatory remarks about any community. Muhammad Arshad advocate submitted in his petition that almost all the TV channels including the respondent channels were indulging in all aforementioned illegal activities these days tending to undermine the integrity and solidarity of the country. He prayed the court that the government and Pemra be directed to initiate punitive action against both respondent TV channels and such other channels and to cancel their licences.

Telesat signs deal with Pakistani space agency

From http://ottsun.canoe.ca/Money/2007/03/13/3743114.html

Pakistan’s national space agency has signed a consulting deal with Telesat for advice on the purchase, manufacture and launch of the Paksat-1R satellite, the Ottawa-based company said Tuesday.

Under the agreement, financial terms of which were not released, Telesat will help the Pakistani agency find a manufacturer and provide technical and commercial advice during the negotiation process.

Telesat will also help oversee the construction of the new satellite and monitor the launch and in-orbit testing services, the company said.

Dan Goldberg, Telesat’s CEO, said it was a “privilege” to work with the Pakistanis.

“Telesat’s new relationship with Pakistan’s national space agency is testimony to Telesat’s longstanding reputation for integrity, reliability and deep expertise in the field of satellite communications services,” Goldberg said in a statement.

The Paksat-1R satellite will replace the existing Paksat-1 in 2010.

Based in Ottawa, Telesat Canada is one of the world’s pioneers in satellite communications and systems management. The company made history in 1972 with the launch of Anik A1, the world’s first domestic communications satellite in geostationary orbit operated by a commercial company.

Telesat now operates a fleet of satellites that provide broadcast distribution and telecommunications services.

On Dec. 18, 2006, BCE Inc. agreed to sell the satellite operator for $3.25 billion to a new company formed by Canada’s Public Sector Pension Investment Board and Loral Space & Communications Inc

Disney to Launch Four HD Channels On DIRECT

From http://www.tvpredictions.com/dishd031307.htm

The new channels are expected by early next year.

Washington, D.C. (March 13, 2007) -- Disney says it will launch four new High-Definition TV networks by early 2008.

The networks -- ESPNews HD, Toon Disney HD, Disney Channel HD and ABC Family HD -- will be carried by DIRECTV, the company said.

The satcaster will add at least one new satellite this year so it can expand its national high-def lineup to 100 channels by year's end.

In January, DIRECTV said the expanded lineup will also include new high-def channels from CNN, USA Network and the Sci-Fi Channel.

Disney said its four new high-def channels will likely be launched in early 2008.

There was no word on whether they will be carried by any cable operators. However, Time Warner told TVPredictions.com last week that it will have the capacity to offer as many HD channels as DIRECTV by year's end.

Indian Satellite On Course To Final Orbit After Rocket Launch

From http://www.spacemart.com/reports/Indian_Satellite_On_Course_To_Final_Orbit_After_Rocket_Launch_999.html

An Indian satellite designed to boost television and communication services was on course Tuesday to reach its final orbit after its delayed launch by rocket, the national space agency said.

"Everything is going well," S. Krishnamurthy, spokesman for the Bangalore-based Indian Space Research Organisation, told AFP.

"We are monitoring the satellite and will plan the next manoeuvre for the following days."

On Tuesday, the INSAT-4B satellite was nudged into its "intermediate orbit" at a height of between 14,000 and 15,000 kilometres (8,680 miles and 9,300 miles) above the equator, Krishnamurthy said. It was the first "critical" orbit-raising manoeuvre carried out by Indian scientists on the satellite, he said.

All systems on board were functioning normally, he said.

The Indian-built satellite will be eventually placed in final orbit at a height of 36,000 kilometres above the equator by scientists at the Master Control Facility in the southern Indian city of Hasan who are tracking the satellite.

The 3,025-kilogram (6,655-pound) INSAT-4B was launched by Arianespace's Ariane-5 rocket from French Guiana on Monday after a day's delay caused by a technical glitch.

The satellite is equipped with 24 transponders designed to beam television programmes directly to households using mini-dish antennas in the country of 1.1 billion people.

Direct-to-home television service providers such as Tata Sky and Dish TV are expanding, promising news and entertainment programmes with better picture and sound quality to lure customers away from cable TV operators.

All transponders on the satellite were fully booked before launch, the Press Trust of India reported earlier this month, enabling the Indian space agency to earn 12.5 billion rupees (282.25 million dollars) in revenue and more than cover the 2.25 billion rupees it paid Arianespace for the launch.

The satellite, which has a life of 12 years, cost 2.1 billion rupees to develop and has been insured for 600 million rupees.

Launched in 1983, INSAT is the largest domestic communication satellite system in the Asia-Pacific region, with nine satellites in operation equipped with 175 communication transponders.

The satellites provide services in telecommunication, television broadcasting and meteorology including disaster warning.

ISRO Status Report
INSAT-4B Placed in Intermediate Orbit
The first critical orbit-raising manoeuvre on INSAT-4B was successfully conducted at 5:35 am this morning (March 13, 2007) with the firing of the 440 Newton Liquid Apogee Motor (LAM) on board for 93 minutes by commanding the satellite from Master Control Facility (MCF) at Hassan in Karnataka.

With this LAM operation, INSAT-4B perigee has been raised to 14,244 km. The apogee is at 35,752 km and the inclination of the orbit with respect to the equatorial plane has been reduced from 4.5 deg at the time of entering into orbit to 1.15 deg now. The present orbital period is 15 hours 21 minutes.

It may be recalled that INSAT-4B was successfully launched by Ariane 5 launch vehicle yesterday (March 12, 2007) from Kourou, French Guyana.

The launch vehicle placed INSAT-4B in the intended Gesynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) with a perigee (closest point to the earth) of 250 km and apogee (farthest point to earth) of 35,886 km.

MCF acquired the first signals at 4:02 am IST on March 12, 2007 and conducted initial phase operations on INSAT-4B.

The satellite which had gone out of radio visibility of MCF at 2:04 pm yesterday, came within its radio visibility again at 1:00 am this morning. The satellite was oriented suitably before the start of LAM operations.

All systems on board the satellite are functioning normally. The satellite went out of MCF radio visibility at 12:02 pm this afternoon. It will again come within MCF's radio visibility at 6:11 am tomorrow. Further orbit raising maneuvers are planned in the next few days. http://www.isro.org

Not enough for DTH

From http://www.business-standard.com/common/storypage_c.php?leftnm=10&autono=277586

The successful launch of the Insat-4B communication satellite from Kourou in French Guyana on Monday morning marks a further expansion of India’s domestic communication satellite network, now by far the largest in the Asia-Pacific region. This second satellite in the Insat-4 series joins a fleet of nine other Indian communication spacecraft, including Kalpana-1, Gsat-2, Edusat and Insat-4A, which together have 175 transponders in C band and extended C and Ku bands. Built gradually over the past 24 years, this dynamic network has revolutionised the information and communication sectors besides catering, if only partly, for the needs of meteorology, education, health, agriculture and business. With the addition of 24 more transponders (12 in Ku band and 12 in C band) through Insat-4B, almost akin to Insat-4A, the total number of transponders swells to 199. The new satellite will give a boost to direct-to-home television broadcasting through Ku band transponders and other fields like TV, radio and telecommunication through C band transponders.

All this is commendable, but the available transponder capacity is still short of the requirement, which, based on the existing demand, is reckoned at about 300 transponders. From that viewpoint, the loss of the Insat-4C satellite in July during the crash of the GSLV launch vehicle is still hurting. That would have added 12 more Ku band transponders to the available fleet. That mishap prevented several DTH operators, including Doordarshan’s (DD’s) Direct Plus, Dish TV and Tata Sky, from expanding their reach. Besides, it put on hold the proposed launch of similar services by some new players as well. The launch of Insat-4B may provide only cold comfort to several of these potential customers as the entire capacity of this satellite has already been committed, the biggest gainers being Sun DTH, which gets seven of the 12 DTH transponders, and DD Direct, which gets the remaining five DTH transponders. The C band capacity, too, has been allotted for services like radio, TV and telecommunications. The new seekers will, therefore, have to wait for some more time, till at least the launch of Insat-4CR later this year as a replacement of the ill-fated Insat-4C. However, since Doordarshan is slated to switch over its DTH DD Direct service from the American-owned NSS-6 satellite to Insat-4B by early May, the transponder space vacated by it may become available to new players. Significantly, this switchover is projected to help the Prasar Bharati save around $5 million, though it will require it to rotate its dish antennas from the existing 95 degrees to 93.5 degrees. It is not yet clear whether this rotation would necessitate re-programming of set-top boxes.

The operation of the Insat-4B should help Antrix Corporation, the commercial arm of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), earn Rs 4.5 crore per transponder per year during the 12-year life of the new satellite. This should encourage ISRO to focus more on bridging the gap between the demand for and supply of transponder capacity; a ready market is waiting to be tapped.

OpenTV Launches on DishTV, India's First and Fastest-Growing Satellite ServiceDeployment Achieved in Record Time

From http://sev.prnewswire.com/television/20070313/SFTU01313032007-1.html

SAN FRANCISCO, March 13 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- OpenTV Corp. (NASDAQ: OPTV) , a leading provider of enabling technologies for advanced television and cross-platform interactive services, today announced that it has successfully integrated and downloaded its Core2 software to over 1,400,000 set-top boxes for DishTV. DishTV, part of the Essel Group of companies, has launched advanced digital television services that include a new guide, interactive cricket, multi-angle interactive news, and a suite of games from OpenTV's PlayJam service. The integration and deployment of the software and services took less than four months, an industry record for a launch of this size.

The next phase of deployment will introduce further applications as well as a PVR built around OpenTV's PVR2 software. With over one million subscribers and an expected annual growth rate of 100% per year, Essel Group expects to deploy similar OpenTV-enabled services to a portion of its Siticable customer base, India's largest at approximately 6.5 million subscribers, as Sitibase converts its cable systems from analog to digital. Conax conditional access is used by DishTV.

According to Mike Ivanchenko, Senior Vice President & Managing Director, Asia Pacific, at OpenTV, "We're delighted with the speed with which our team was able to launch DishTV services. The Indian market is a huge opportunity for OpenTV, and being able to serve a vast and growing number of subscribers quickly and without technical problems is imperative in order to be successful. With analysts projecting a compound annual growth rate of 10% for the Indian pay TV market, we expect to see 70 million digital subscriber households by the year 2010, and OpenTV is well-positioned to be able to meet their needs for advanced digital television services."

"Working with OpenTV has resulted in a mutually beneficial partnership that has dramatically accelerated the growth of digital television in India," said Jawahar Goel, Additional Vice Chairman of Essel Group. "The basic boxes we have deployed are perfectly suited to the Indian market, but difficult to deploy. OpenTV's speed in launching with these boxes will enable subscribers to immediately take advantage of 'enhanced cricket' and other interactive services for which viewers have been clamoring."

About Open TV

OpenTV is one of the world's leading providers of solutions for the delivery of digital and interactive television. The company's software has been integrated in over 81 million digital set-top boxes and digital televisions around the world. The software enables enhanced program guides, video-on-demand, personal video recording, enhanced television, interactive shopping, interactive and addressable advertising, games and gaming and a variety of consumer care and communication applications. For more information, please visit http://sev.prnewswire.com/television/20070313/SFTU01313032007-1.html#.

About Essel Group

Essel Group has a vast range of national and global business interests that include media programming, broadcasting and distribution, packaging, entertainment, online gaming, and telecom.

Essel Group has always been a pioneer-Zee TV was the first Indian satellite channel, Siticable the first MSO, Esselworld the first theme park, Playwin the first online lottery, Essel Propack the world's number one in packaging-all revolutionary concepts in their respective fields.

Continuing with the same path-breaking tradition, the group has recently launched DishTV, India's first DTH service, which in a short span of time has established itself as the leading content provider with in India, bringing to the viewers a new era of premium quality TV viewing. DishTV is going to provide its live service on Kingfisher premium airline, the second airline in the world to deploy such capability.

13/03/07

Live satellite chat 9pm NZ 8.30pm Syd time in the chatroom. I may not be able to make it though.

As the launch of Freeview draws nearer the official Freeview web site is getting closer to coming on line. In order to assist consumers in contacting their nearest installer across the nation, Freeview will provide an installers list online.

If you would like to have your business listed on the Freeview website please fill in the attached file and send back to me at your earliest convenience (and no later than Thursday 15 March).

Please return via e-mail or fax. We look forward to hearing from you and believe the listings will provide enormous benefit to customers and installers alike.

Jim Tully, head of the University of Canterbury political science and communication school, described the 7pm bulletin as "shoestring" and said it appeared to be cobbled together by taking advantage of the network's international connections.

"I don't think you could call it a serious New Zealand news programme."

Sky Television announced the new programme on Friday.

The station said it would give New Zealanders "even more choice as to when they can watch television news. While other services are downsizing, we are expanding".

But New Zealand Broadcasting School head Paul Norris said important domestic stories were missing from the line-up.

He said it was obvious the show - fronted by Eric Young, who reads for the pay-TV company's free-to-air arm Prime TV - did not have the news resources of TV One and TV3 but it had "made a little go a long way".

Mr Norris, a former TVNZ head of news, said One News and 3 News last night led on the renewed commitment of NZ troops to Afghanistan. Prime's 5.30pm bulletin did not lead on the item, but by 7pm Sky News did.

Mr Norris said, however, the item was "thin" with a voice over and a clip of Prime Minister Helen Clark.

"Then they climaxed the piece with a phone interview with the ZB political editor Barry Soper," said Mr Norris. "That looks very much like the poor relation if you have to do that for your lead story."

Mr Norris said Sky TV was a clever competitor and the move was probably planned as a spoiler for TVNZ's proposed 24-hour news channel.

Sky TV director of communications Tony O'Brien said the show was part of a well-signalled expansion of its local news.

The programme drew on Sky News' 24-hour service, supported by the Prime news team, he said.

The half-hour bulletin broadcasts from Prime's Albany studio.

A repackaged version of the bulletin screens at 8.30pm and 9pm, offering the chance to follow developing stories throughout the evening, he said.

IT ventures seek to revolutionise TV

From http://www.smh.com.au/news/Business/IT-ventures-seek-to-revolutionise-TV/2007/03/12/1173548084608.html

Free television from anywhere, streamed to your computer.

That is the vision of two new Europe-based ventures: Joost, developed by the Scandinavian co-founders of the internet telephone service Skype, and Babelgum, launched by the CEO of Italy's No. 2 telecommunications company.

Both have begun test phases of their platforms - heading down a path that could revolutionise the way we watch TV.

Unlike the recent wave of Internet Protocol Television, high-quality video delivered over phone lines through a set-top box to your television set, these new ventures are offering free video streamed directly over a broadband connection to a PC.

Joost, pronounced "juiced", is offering comedy, sports, music and documentaries, and has recently snatched up a content deal with Viacom, which owns Paramount pictures and networks including MTV and Comedy Central - staking out a claim to the mass market.

By contrast, Babelgum, which is testing nine channels including movie trailers, animation, sports and news clips, is going after the niche market by seeking to offer a broad catalogue of specific content that potential viewers would have a hard time finding on their own.

Central to their strategy is development of smart channelling, which will allow viewers to customise videos streamed to their computers based on stated preferences.

Both are using peer-to-peer technology, which allows delivery of huge files more efficiently, and will look to advertising to generate revenue.

But whether you adopt Joost or Babelgum in their early stages may well depend on whether you are a teenager at one with your PC or a middle-aged viewer accustomed to taking your video entertainment reclining on a sofa.

With these ventures still in their infancy, analysts say there is little question that television will continue its reign as the primary source of video news and entertainment for the immediate future.

But they predict that soon - and estimates vary from three to 15 years - these ventures will converge with television in a sort of big bang of media delivery.

Out of the chaos, analysts forecast a broadcast universe of anything, any time, delivered on-demand to your television set via an internet connection.

But not quite yet.

"Although PC-based content definitely has its own place, especially for niche content, normal television will not go away," said Arjang Zadeh, a London-based internet TV expert for Accenture, a technology consulting company.

TV's dominance will be supported by the current trend toward high-definition television because "the best way of delivering HDTV content is to go through the normal satellite and cable delivery systems," Zadeh said.

Among the key obstacles faced by internet TV ventures are the strength and diffusion of broadband connections, affecting video quality, as well as questions about the availability of "compelling" TV programming, according to a recent survey conducted by Accenture and the Economist Intelligence Unit.

Both Joost and Babelgum are focusing on professionally produced video, contrasting with the amateur footage that has fuelled YouTube's popularity.

But because they are delivered over broadband, neither can provide the same quality guarantees of even the current batch of IPTV offerings.

Zadeh said he doesn't think internet delivery can compete with the quality of satellite or cable television until broadband speeds increase to an average 25 to 30 megabits per second.

Still, analysts see the market growing.

According to iSuppli, the market for TV over the internet is likely to increase to 2 billion euro ($A3.4 billion) by 2010.

"As long as they are computer-based, these types of services are going to be very, very limited. It is when those services reach the television that we are really going to see changes that will be revolutionary," said Mark Kirstein, vice president for multi-media for iSuppli.

The revolution is not just technological - it's also social, said Francesco Monico, a professor of media at the New Academy of Fine Arts in Milan.

As individuals tend toward niche content tailored to their interests, television will loose its social and political power to influence society, he said.

Monico says television as we know it is already dead, and he has already stopped teaching it in his media classes because his students, who range in age from 19 to 30, simply don't watch enough to get the references.

"Last week, one of my students told me that technology is for old people," Monico said.

"They use the internet in a relaxed way. They are part of the internet. They don't care about this kind of TV or that kind of mobile phone. They say, what we need is just the internet."

TVN, Foxtel to televise horse racing

From http://www.thewest.com.au/aapstory.aspx?StoryName=363864

Thoroughbred racing will be available to a wider television audience from Thursday under a new arrangement between Foxtel and ThoroughVisioN (TVN) announced on Tuesday.

Since its inception two years ago, TVN has been a subscription only service but will now be part of Foxtel's sports tier.

"With the recently announced free to air deal for live television coverage of major racing events from Melbourne and Sydney on the Nine Network and now today with this significant announcement, TVN's premium thoroughbred racing product will be available to the widest possible audience," TVN chairman Harold Mitchell said.

"TVN is poised to play an even more important role in driving interest and betting turnover."

TVN was established to showcase thoroughbred racing as opposed to the TAB-owned Sky Channel which also telecasts harness and greyhound racing in a wall-to-wall format.

The Australian Jockey Club and Sydney Turf Club have a 50 per cent holding in the company with the Victorian clubs owning the other 50 per cent.

The two Sydney clubs fought a protracted battle with Racing NSW over their rights with the NSW Supreme Court ruling in the clubs' favour.

"It has been a fantastic two years but tough," Mitchell said.

"But now hundreds of thousands more homes will have access via Foxtel."

However, Mitchell said country subscribers would have to wait a little longer with a deal yet to be struck between TVN and Austar.

"As of today we don't have a deal," he said.

"I hope this can be completed quickly."

Space Scientists To Take The Pulse Of Planet Earth

From http://www.spacemart.com/reports/Space_Scientists_To_Take_The_Pulse_Of_Planet_Earth_999.html

Dozens of international satellite and modelling experts are meeting in Canberra today to discuss how to improve observations of the Earth to better understand and predict climate change, water availability, and natural disasters. CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research's Dr Alex Held, organiser of the two-day international meeting, says the researchers are planning to use a complex system of sensors, communication devices, storage systems and other technologies to take the Earth's pulse.

"The Global Earth Observation System of Systems, or GEOSS, will benefit society in a number of ways, by providing better understanding of climate change and the water cycle, improved weather information, better natural disaster warnings, and ways to monitor and conserve biodiversity," Dr Held says.

"Our aim is for GEOSS to bring together information from satellites, Earth system models, and other data to improve our understanding of the interactions between the ocean, atmosphere and land. Drawing on state-of-the-art technologies, GEOSS will assimilate streams of satellite data into computer models to improve predictions."

Dr Held says that GEOSS aims to monitor continuously the state of the Earth to increase understanding and enhance prediction of the Earth system, and provide timely, quality, long-term, global information as a basis for sound decision making.

"This topic is naturally of vital importance to Australia. The drought, recent bushfires and the IPCC report, among others, have sharpened everyone's attention on this issue," he says.

The workshop is one of a series being held around the world in 2007 to give users and providers of Earth Observation information an opportunity to better understand GEOSS and its benefits for society.

The Canberra workshop, held at CSIRO's Discovery Centre 8-9 March, will include presentations from invited speakers from Japan, USA and Europe.

It is sponsored by: the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers; US National Science Foundation and the Department of Education, Science and Training International Science Linkages Programme which was established under the Australian Government's Backing Australia's Ability - Building our Future through Science and Innovation package.

The workshop is also being supported by CSIRO, the Bureau of Meteorology and University of NSW. It will be followed by the 2007 Ocean Surface Topography Science Team Meeting, to be held in Hobart, March 12-15.

Zonemedia Partners With RRSat for Transmission of Reality Zone Into Asia Additional Agreement With Zonemedia

From http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/03-12-2007/0004543883&EDATE=

OMER, Israel, March 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- RRSat Global Communications Network Ltd. (NASDAQ: RRST), a rapidly growing provider of comprehensive content management and global distribution services to the television and radio broadcasting industries, announced today that Zonemedia has selected RRSat for distribution of its reality TV channel, Zone Reality, into Asia using Intelsat-10 (PAS-10) satellite. Zonemedia will also use RRSat's Conditional Access System to encrypt the channel. "The close working relationship with Zonemedia started several years ago when RRSat started distributing Zone Reality to Israel's satellite operator", said Lior Rival, VP Sales and Marketing of RRSat. "In light of the successful relationship, Zonemedia decided to extend its cooperation with RRSat and to use RRSat's Global distribution network. Reality TV will be joining over 300 of RRSat's other existing channels. We believe this is the beginning of a worldwide cooperation that will extend to other areas and other channels operated by Zonemedia". Andreea Buga, Vice President Operations and Studios at Zonemedia said, "We have been very satisfied with the service given by RRSat over the last few years with our current distributed content. We intend to continue to work with RRSat in order to leverage their broad global distribution network, and additional content management services, in order to further grow our product offering and reach new customers worldwide. We look forward to continuing to develop this very successful and mutually productive relationship."

About RRSat Global Communications Network Ltd. RRSat Global Communications Network Ltd. (NASDAQ: RRST) provides global, comprehensive, content management and distribution services to the rapidly expanding television and radio broadcasting industries. Through its proprietary "RRSat Global Network," composed of satellite and terrestrial fiber optic transmission capacity and the public Internet, RRSat is able to offer high-quality and flexible global distribution services for content providers. RRSat's comprehensive content management services include producing and playing out TV content as well as providing satellite newsgathering services (SNG). RRSat concurrently provide these services to more than 285 television channels and more than 80 radio channels, covering more than 150 countries. Visit the company's website http://www.rrsat.com/ for more information.

About Zonemedia Based in London, Zonemedia is a leading international broadcaster and distributor of thematic television channels. The company was founded in 1991 and today has 18 offices and studios throughout Europe, Asia and Latin America. Zonemedia owns and operates nine thematic channels: Zone Reality, Zone Reality Extra, Zone Europa, Zone Romantica, Zone Club, Zone Horror, Zone Thriller, Zone Fantasy and Extreme Sports Channel, which are broadcast in over 125 countries in 24 languages, with over 300 million paying subscribers. In addition, Zonemedia has a successful channel representation business and currently represents over 30 international channels from such companies as Viacom, Turner, Hallmark, MTV, Discovery and Eurosport. Zonemedia also has a programme distribution business and continues to syndicate formats, series and specials from the world's top producers. http://www.zonemedia.net/. Zonemedia is 90 percent owned by Chellomedia, a division of Liberty Global Inc.

Safe harbor statement This press release contains forward looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, including statements regarding (i) the growth of our business and the television and radio broadcasting industries, (ii) our expectation to sell additional services to our existing client base, and (iii) our ability to report future successes. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties and are based on current expectations, assumptions, estimates and projections about the companies and the industry as of the date of this press release. The company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent occurring events or circumstances, or to changes in its expectations, except as may be required by law. Forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements, including the risks indicated in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). For more details, please refer to our SEC filings and the amendments thereto, including our Registration Statement on Form F-1 filed on October 31, 2006 and our Current Reports on Form 6-K. Information in this press release concerning Zonemadia has not been independently verified by RRSat and is based solely on information provided to RRSat by Zonemedia for inclusion in this press release. Company Contact Information: External Investor Relations Contacts: Gil Efron, CFO Ehud Helft / Kenny Green Tel: +972-8-861-0000 Tel: +1-866-704-6710 Email: investors@rrsat.com

M'ian TV viewers to get 176 channels next year

From http://www.sun2surf.com/article.cfm?id=9658

KUALA LUMPUR: By next year, Malaysians will have a choice of 176 television channels -- seven channels for free while the rest for a fee.

The free-to-air TV channels are three public-funded RTM channels and four operated by the private sector, namely TV3, 8TV, Channel 9 and ntv7, Bernama reports.

Information Minister Datuk Seri Abdul Kadir Sheikh Fadzir announced on June 7 that RTM would launch its third channel by the end of the year after digitalisation TV1 and TV2.

He said the digitalisation process was being implemented by a KUB Bhd-led consortium but only involved selected households in the Klang Valley who would be supplied with free transmitters.

The name and concept of the third RTM channel has not been decided.

Rumours are rife among national broadcasting players that the new channel will dedicate its programmes to sports, similar to the expected plan by Media Prima Bhd for Channel 9.

Media Prima last week announced the proposed purchase of Ch-9 Media Sdn Bhd, the owner of Channel 9 which had ceased transmission, from industrialist Tan Sri Abdul Rashid Manaf at RM40.61 million.

The media giant also owns TV3, 8TV, Fly-fm radio station and The New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd, which publishes the New Straits Times, Berita Harian, Harian Metro and Malay Mail dailies as well as various otherpublications.

The purchase of Channel 9 is seen as Media Prima's move to strengthen its dominance in TV advertisement expenditure (Adex) which had been led by TV3 while the birth of 8TV has provided advertisers with another alternative.

"We have to look at the developments from a wider broadcasting perspective.

"Media Prima is a media conglomerate but it is not the only one because we still have Astro and another TV station.

ÒSo, it is not a monopoly but a big conglomerate,Ó he said.
Safar was of the view that the purchase of Channel 9 would strengthen the country's broadcasting industry and he cited several other TV stations like Metrovision and Mega TV which had failed due to their inability to compete.

ÒFrom the economic perspective, the purchase will be profitable because it will make Channel 9 more efficient and productive.

"With the application of TV3 methods and capabilities, I feel it can grow by 30 to 40%," he said.

Channel 9 began its operations on Sept 9, 2003 but stopped transmission on Feb 1 last year.

Meanwhile, the pay-TV sector will see the emergence of MiTV with 50 channels and Fine TV with 18 interactive channels.

Fine TV, owned by Network Guidance Sdn Bhd, will gamble on the edutainment and pay-per-view concepts while MiTV, operated by MiTV Corporations Sdn Bhd, promises programme variety to meet the tastes of the multi-ethnic society.

Astro, which offers 51 channels is said to add another 50 channels after the Measat 3 satelite is launched next month.

Licences for WiMax due at end of year

From http://www.bangkokpost.com/Business/12Mar2007_biz26.php

Pacific keen to be among first providers

The National Telecommunications Communications says it expects to issue licences for the fourth generation of wireless broadband service, known as WiMax, by the end of this year.

NTC director Prasit Prapingmongkolkarn made the comment after a recent forum to hear opinions from Internet service providers about WiMax and the spectrum standard for wireless connectivity.

He said the NTC now had 2.5-Gigahertz and 3.5 GHz spectrums available for WiMax service, while authorities were studying whether the 5 GHz spectrum would affect Shin Satellite's iPSTAR broadband satellite, which was allocated the spectrum for use.

True Corp is a major WiFi player, with a zone in Siam Square one of its biggest installations.

Even so, he expects WiMax licences could be issued by the end of this year. They would be type-3 licences, meaning service providers would need to have their own networks.

Service providers would pay 3% of revenue for the licence, and 4% of revenue as a universal service obligation (USO) fee.

WiMax is a more powerful version of WiFi, which offers high-speed wireless Internet access in a limited radius of 10 to 100 metres. As a result, it's popular in locations such as coffee shops. WiMax can cover a much broader geographical area, up to an entire city.

The NTC plans another forum before announcing a frequency-allocation plan for WiMax. It could issue licences only for four or five providers on the 2.5 GHz spectrum, Mr Prasit added.

A Shin Satellite representative said that if WiMax was allowed on the 3.5 GHz spectrum, its satellite service would face interference. He urged the NTC to consider other spectrums instead.

One company eager to offer WiMax is Pacific Internet Thailand, which has earmarked an investment of up to one billion baht in WiMax wireless broadband services this year once the NTC issues the licences.

The regional Internet service provider said it planned to set up a new subsidiary, with a foreign partner holding 49%, to seek type-2 and type-3 WiMax licences.

Thayawat Unnanond, a senior vice-president of Pacific Internet Thailand, said the company was ready to build a WiMax network and start commercial service by the end of this year.

In the first phase, he said, the company planned to spend about one billion baht building a network in Bangkok, provincial urban areas and industrial zones.

"We target corporate customers at the early stage due to the much higher margins than the consumer segment," he said.

For the second phase, the company would expand into provinces with a high number of broadband users.

Pacific Internet already holds a type-2 licence for VoIP (voice over Internet protocol) services for PC-to-phone calls. It also plans to apply for an international gateway licence, with a plan to step into triple-play service, offering voice, data and multimedia.

Mr Thayawat urged the NTC to ensure that smaller providers can compete by limiting the number of licences available to giant operators such as True Corp and TOT Plc, which own extensive networks and infrastructure. "If the NTC opens all licences to all companies, how can small firms survive in the business?" he asked.

More than 50 ISP licences have been issued, but licences for networks and gateways are limited to only a few big players.

For instance, he said, True and TOT have applied for all licences, from fixed-line and Internet services to international Internet gateways and WiMax.

Mr Thayawat also said he expected to see an additional one million new broadband subscribers, half of them using wireless services, in Thailand this year.

Thailand has about 800,000 broadband users, about 90% individuals and the rest corporate customers. However, corporate users account for up to 80% of the revenue.

Sentech seeks extra government funding for 2010 broadcasts

From http://www.mybroadband.co.za/nephp/?m=show&id=5853

Cash-strapped state-owned broadcasting signal distributor and multimedia service provider Sentech is busy making preparations for the 2010 Soccer World Cup and hoping it will receive more funds from the state to install the necessary infrastructure.

Sentech will play a crucial role in providing satellite communications and broadband wireless coverage for the transmission of soccer matches and to ensure that SA meets its commitment to Fifa to provide high-speed links with a high availability between soccer stadiums, the international broadcasting centre and international gateways.

Another major task is to achieve the migration from analogue to digital broadcasting, a process that is due to commence from November next year and be finished three years later.

Sentech executives briefed Parliament’s communications portfolio committee on Friday on progress made so far. They said they were putting forward their business plans to the treasury and the communications department to secure extra funding.

Finance Minister Trevor Manuel said in his Budget speech last month he was setting aside R3bn as a contingency reserve to cover both unforeseen and unavoidable expenditure as well as extra allocations for several state-owned enterprises, which were yet to be finalised.

These included funds for Sentech’s investment requirements, “contingent on the approval of business plans and resolution of outstanding regulatory requirements”.

Sentech requested R1,3bn for the next financial year but only received R146m pending finalisation of its business plans. The amount requested included R700m for the expansion of its broadband network.

Sentech expects to make a R41m after-tax loss this financial year and a R16,3m loss in the coming year.

MDA organises competitions to promote HDTV in Singapore

From http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/263207/1/.html

SINGAPORE : The Media Development Authority (MDA) has given its view of what is a high adoption rate of High Definition Television, or HDTV, in Singapore.

It says if half of all homes in Singapore have HDTV in five years, it will be considered a high take-up rate.

But MDA hopes to achieve that target in a shorter time than that.

It is organising competitions around Singapore to promote HDTV but it realises that the technology will take time to enter homes.

Dr Christopher Chia, CEO, MDA, says: "We would like to think (that) in Singapore we can anticipate within five years...a high take up of HDTV itself. One would assume once you reach about 50 percent penetration that would be considered a pretty high penetration."

But that is in the future.

For now, the challenge is supporting the HDTV drive.

Promotions, like bringing in Hong Kong stars, help tackle the problem of the lack of awareness of what HDTV is about.

Another challenge is to get more TV production companies to produce programmes and shows in HD.

And the competitions are designed to get the public involved.

Contestants are filmed on a HDTV camera.

They have to perform a 30-second clip about HDTV.

Their performances are then put onto the competition website where after each weekly roadshow, viewers can vote for their favourite performances such as the one by Syltra Lee.

The 16-year-old has been playing the guitar for three years and performing live since last June.

Syltra says: "I'm still hoping somebody will come up to me and say `Oh you, I want to sponsor you and make you a star, the next big thing'."

And Syltra is not the only one.

Seven-year old Sophia Boey is another budding star hoping to win prizes.

Tamil Tigers are pirates and they are broadcasting illegally in the Intelsat 12 satellite without any proper authorization.

The New York based Intelsat Ltd., the world’s largest commercial satellite communications services provider told “Asian Tribune” that that LTTE is not a customer of the Intelsat. “They are pirates.”

On 04 March, LTTE news websites reported that Voice of Tigers, the official radio broadcast of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), began satellite broadcast to South Asian countries from Vanni starting from that day.

Also it was reported S.P. Tamilselvan Head of the LTTE’s political Division participated in the ceremony and said, "We are holding the inauguration ceremony on the 69th birthday of late Anton Balasingham as a mark of respect for his contribution to the progress of Tamil media. I also wish to thank all the staff at VoT for making the station a voice of Tamils."

However “Asian Tribune” reported on 05 March, “Anyhow, Pro LTTE websites in their news report about the launching of the satellite broadcast carried a misleading statement stating that “The radio service will use similar frequencies used by the National Television of Tamileelam (NTT), using ‘Eurostar’ at 11.506 GHz symbol rate 2894, vertical polarization, the media unit.

“Asian Tribune” report further added “However, Intelsat 12 satellite link clearly shows that National Television of Tamileelam and as well as Pulikalin Kural is with the same frequencies and are hosted by them.”

The contention of the “Asian Tribune” was confirmed by Ms. Diam Beever, Intelsat LTd Vice President in charge of Investor Relations and corporate communication, who told “Asian Tribune” that Sri Lanka’s terrorists’ outfit LTTE is presently pirating the Intelsat’s 12 bandwidth without the knowledge of the company.

“Intelsat has notified the original customer for the capacity that they are in violation of their contract, and Intelsat has informed them to cease transmissions,” Diam Beever said.

When asked to identify the original customer of the Intelsat, Diam Beever refused to disclose the name of the service provider who gas accommodated the LTTE’s medias without the knowledge of the Intelsat Ltd.

When asked whether Intelsat was not aware of the fact that LTTE’s National Television of Tamileelam was using the Intelsat 12 satellite bandwidth since 2005.

Diam Beever clarified that the Intelsat Ltd acquired PanAmSat only on July 3, 2006, and LTTE’s National Television of Tamil Eelam might have come to share quietly the Intelsat 12 satellite.

She said, “We are taking actions to cease their transmission soon. “

Furthermore Diam Beever said, “There are no Sri Lankan shareholders of Intelsat. Intelsat went private in January of 2005 and has had no Sri Lankan investment shares since that time.”

World Cup boosts TV sales

From http://www.sundaytimes.lk/070311/FinancialTimes/ft303.html

Newly launched satellite service Dialog TV has seen a 50 percent jump in sales due to focused promotions targeting the World Cup.

The upcoming cricket World Cup has proven to be a money spinner for firms selling consumer durables like TVs and satellite connection suppliers.

Newly launched satellite service Dialog TV has seen a 50 percent jump in sales due to focused promotions targeting the World Cup.

Nushad Perera, General Manager Sales and Marketing of Dialog Telekom said the company is aggressive on marketing campaigns with the cricket fever build up.

He said prior to Dialog taking over the company (earlier CBN Sat) it had only 10,000 subscribers, but in the last two months Dialog TV has added 6,000 more to the customer base.

“More than half of our growth is due to the World Cup, because the normal terrestrial channels only telecast five balls per over at most, due to advertisements or crawlers appearing on the television screen, but Dialog TV has a direct feed from the ground without any such advertisements except when the teams stop for tea or lunch and our customers are aware of this,” he explained.

Singer Sri Lanka with its 37 percent market share of television sets too is cashing in on the World Cup. “Our sales are expected to increase by about 20 percent during this period,” M. H. M. Fairooz, Brand Group Manager, Singer Sri Lanka said.

Phillips has a similar promotion with a target of 30 percent sales growth, according to industry sources.

Abans is offering a free Dialog TV connection with every plasma television bought.

Major suppliers annouce deals worth over usd 160 million signed at cabsat2007

From http://www.albawaba.com/en/countries/UAE/210627

The value of transactions reported by a number of major companies at CABSAT2007 was over USD160 million on the final day, with at least one agreement signed to supply satellite technology to the Indian market worth over USD 88 million.

Added to the significant number of smaller agreements signed, organisers are confident that the show – which also welcomed over 8,500 trade visitors – will break all previous records.

“DWTC’s portfolio of trade shows is designed to drive business growth for participating companies, and for the wider regional economy. CABSAT2007 is a prime example, having welcomed over 8,500 trade visitors from across the region and delivered a strategic platform where major business deals are signed,” said Helal Saeed Al Marri, Director General, Dubai World Trade Centre, organiser of CABSAT2007.

Major transactions announced include the deal signed by Technosat with Hathway, one of the largest multi-service operators with a subscriber base of over five million, for 600,000 units of specially-configured receiver boxes.

The deal – worth an estimated USD 88 million every year – drives Technosat into the premier league of satellite technology companies.

“This deal is unbelievable – a dream that has come true. It takes Technosat to the next level in our ambition to become the Panasonic or the Sony of the satellite industry. CABSAT2007 has helped tremendously in showcasing our latest technology,” said Irshad M Contractor, Managing Director, Technosat.

Other major announcements included the contract to launch the Middle East’s first high-definition television channel by ARABSAT and LUXE.tv, which will be produced in High Definition, and broadcast both in High and Standard Definition.

In addition, a number of innovative companies have made an impact through the supply of breakthrough broadcasting technology.

“CABSAT2007 has demonstrated that the broadcasting industry encourages the survival of the smartest, with innovative technology making all the difference in the Middle East market,” said Shaan R. Jethwani, Executive Director, EUROSTAR.

For CABSAT20007, EUROSTAR introduced its new “Pocket TV with DVB-H” technology. The product is essentially a portable TV, which can air local channels around the GCC states and has built-in navigation software for all the GCC countries.

Another company reporting strong sales was DYNAVISION.

Tamer Ramadan, Sales Manager, DYNAVISION, explains: “We have had a really good response this year because of our new products.”

This year, the firm introduced set-top boxes with more options, such as capacity to connect to the internet, downloading options and the potential to connect and source all data to a home TV.

CABSAT will return to Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre from the 4-6 March, 2008.

About Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC)
http://www.dwtc.com/

Dubai World Trade Centre offers over 27 years’ experience of delivering world-class events in the Middle East, providing local, regional and international exhibitors with unmatched expertise and in-depth market knowledge. Our team organises 15 of the largest and most successful international and regional shows in Middle East, providing an ideal platform for business development in the region.

Our commitment to ongoing innovation within the exhibition industry has supported the rapid growth and development of a wide range of business-to-business and business-to-consumer shows, and delivered consistent satisfaction to exhibitors and visitors. DWTC works with the leading trade bodies and industry associations to ensure that all exhibitions deliver full value and are built upon the real needs of their specific sector.

About CABSAT
http://www.cabsat.com/
CABSAT is the largest Electronic Media and Satellite Communications Event. As an annual event, the exhibition provides the perfect platform for decisions makers, buyers and sellers to network, exchange ideas, debate and explore business opportunities and strategies. CABSAT will cover three main industry sectors including:

CABSAT2006 attracted 8070 industry professionals and was supported and endorsed by GVF, Arab States Broadcasting Union, Asia Pacific Broadcasting Union and International Associations of Broadcasting Manufacturers.

Canadian Satellite Given Final Checks At Russian Launch Pad

From http://www.space-travel.com/reports/Canadian_Satellite_Given_Final_Checks_At_Russian_Launch_Pad_999.html

Astrium, Anik F1R will carry telecommunications, broadcasting and internet services over a large zone covering Canada and North America.

Final checks have begun on the Canadian Anik F3 telecommunication satellite due to be launched into space by a Russian rocket next month, the rocket's makers said on Monday. The satellite, which weighs 4,600 kilograms (10,140 pounds), will supply telephone and Internet services and transmit television and radio signals across Canada and the United States.

It arrived at the Baikonur launch site in Kazakhstan on Saturday where it will undergo technical checks by experts from EADS Astrium, a subsidiary of European aerospace group EADS, which built it.

The Proton M rocket, made by the Khrunichev Space and Production Centre, has been there since the beginning of March and is going through similar tests, the Russian group said.

EADS built the satellite, which has a 15-year lifespan, for Telesat Canada, a pioneer in the field.

Following a planned launch on April 10, the satellite will be placed on a geostationary orbit at 118.7 degrees west.

ISRO sees 300 transponders in 2 years

From http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2007/03/13/stories/2007031303331000.htm

Bangalore March 12 ISRO expects the total number of transponders to touch 300 in the next two years. It will cross 200 and reach 211 later this year when it launches the replacement satellite, 4CR, an official said.

Three or four more telecom satellites are slated for launch by 2009 and each satellite normally adds 24 transponders and the latest, 4B, takes the Insat capacity tally to 199 when it becomes operational in a month.

Currently, all but nine of the (pre-4B capacity of) 175 transponders are loaded. Five have been kept spare for emergencies while four have been kept `off', the official said.

Private broadcasters hog 40 transponders; VSATs and government users take 38. BSNL has taken 34 transponders while DD and AIR use 16, he said.

The Insat system, established in 1983, is the only single system in the world to support diverse services such as telecommunication, television and radio broadcasting, weather forecast, disaster warning, tele-education and telemedicine.

DTH services to get a push with Insat-4B launch

From http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News_By_Industry/Media__Entertainment__Art/Entertainment/DTH_services_to_get_a_push_with_Insat-4B_launch/articleshow/1755442.cms

BANGALORE: Satellite INSAT-4B was launched from Kourou in French Guiana on Monday giving a fresh momentum to direct-to-home (DTH) television services back home.

The 3,025-kg spacecraft rode into space with co-passenger British military satellite Skynet-5A on board commercial launch service provider Arianespace’s Ariane-5 rocket from the South American spaceport after a precise launch, telecast live.

Rs 210-crore satellite built by Bangalore-headquartered Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is equipped with 24 communication transponders that would provide DTH television and other communication and TV services.

“It’s a great occasion for us today,” a jubilant ISRO chairman G Madhavan Nair said in his post-launch remarks at Kourou. “...it’s a very unique opportunity to have an addition of 24 transponders to our fleet of 175 transponders serving the national development programmes in India.”

A cash-cow for ISRO, the transponder capacity in the second of the fourth generation satellite with a mission life of 12 years, has been fully booked, mainly by SUN TV and Doordarshan.

Having sold the transponders for about $1 million each, ISRO is estimated to be earning a revenue of around Rs 1,250 crore from the spacecraft.

An ISRO official said that each of INSAT-4B transponders can accommodate a dozen colour television channels by using digital compression technologies.

After a 24-hour delay following an operational anomaly at the launch pad, the Ariane-5 rocket, carrying the dual payload, lifted off at 3.33 am Indian Standard Time. It deployed Skynet 5A at 26 minutes into the heavy-lift mission, followed four minutes later by INSAT-4B.

According to ISRO, the Master Control Facility at Hassan in Karnataka acquired the first signals from INSAT-4B at 4.02 am IST, and initial checks on the satellite have indicated normal health of the satellite.

Nair said the 12 Ku and 12 C band transponders of the INSAT-4B would be used for various entertainment, connectivity to remote places and communication for business and other applications.

“This satellite is a very important one and it provides high power and also wide area coverage for national purpose,” he said.

“With this first launch of the year 2007, Arianespace has once again demonstrated its leadership,” said the European space consortium’s CEO Jean-Yves Le Gall.

Mukerjea's broadcast venture to roll out 8-10 channels for Mukesh

From http://www.indiantelevision.com/headlines/y2k7/mar/mar125.php

MUMBAI: The big dads of business are set to make the largest investment in a greenfield media project. Mukesh Ambani, private equity fund Temasek Holdings and a clutch of individual investors are arming former Star India CEO Peter Mukerjea with an investment outlay of $300 million to launch a slew of 8-10 TV channels.

First to kick off would be a Hindi general entertainment and an English news channel. The overall plan is to have a broad bouquet including a reality, a music and regional general entertainment channels, a source in the industry says. There will also be a language news channel other than English, he adds.

No south language foray is being planned. Nor will there be a movie channel. The general entertainment channel will have movie content.

There would be no foreign strategic equity partner for the news channel venture. Earlier Ambani had asked Ernst & Young to conduct a feasibility study on entering the news business. There were news reports that he was in talks with BBC for launching a news channel.

Mukerjea and the other senior media professionals would share a minority stake in the company.

44 applicants for uplinking TV signals

From http://www.indiantelevision.com/headlines/y2k7/mar/mar133.php

NEW DELHI: Applications of 44 companies seeking permission to uplink satellite television channels from India were under consideration of the Information and Broadcasting Ministry as on 28 February.

I and B Minister Priyaranjan Dasmunsi told the Lok Sabha in reply to a question that only four of these companies have their registered offices or headquarters in the northeastern region.

The Minister said that permission under the Guidelines for Uplinking TV signals from India issued on December 2, 2005, is issued on all-India basis and is not region-specific

Star India, Balaji Telefilms join hands for Telugu channel

From http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News_By_Industry/Media__Entertainment__Art/STAR_India_Balaji_Telefilms_join_hands_for_Telugu_channel/articleshow/1755395.cms

MUMBAI: Star India, in its second attempt to enter the southern market, is joining hands with the content major Balaji Telefilms to float a separate company for a Telugu language channel. People close to the development said that the new venture will be a 50:50 JV between STAR and Balaji Telefilms, and the two partners will invest Rs 100-150 crore.

“All the paper work is currently being processed, and the deal has been given the nod by STAR Hong Kong. The announcement is likely to take place in the next two weeks,” a source said.

The new venture will produce television software in Tamil for STAR’s Tamil channel Vijay TV, and in Telugu for STAR’s proposed Telugu channel. The new channel will also be launched by the company.

The decision to partner with Balaji comes from the fact that the south poses large entry barriers for any newcomer thanks to Kalanithi Maran’s Sun Network’s monopolistic position both on the content and distribution side.

Also Balaji Telefilms, in which STAR already holds 26%, has been producing Telugu, Kannada, Malyalam and Tamil software for close to eight years now, and are currently exclusive vendors for the Sun.

As a practice, Sun TV has inked exclusive contracts with all the major content providers down south, disallowing the production houses to supply to any other broadcaster.

STAR will now get a secure content provider, while for Balaji it would mean assured revenue down south. But the Jeetendra-promoted company, which has been struggling for a while now to get on to Sun’s prime time, will have to totally get off the Sun Network. Both STAR and Balaji Telefilms refused to comment on the issue.

STAR’s entry into the other regional markets will give the media house a substantial regional presence, apart from growing its viewer base. This will also allow it to bundle advertising packages on a higher premium and command better subscription rates.

However, the going may not be so easy, as the distribution landscape down south is also largely controlled by Sun’s cable arm Sumangali Cable Vision (SCV). The upside, however, is that the Telugu market is not so cluttered with the cable industry largely fragmented. The good news for STAR is that Hathway, in which STAR already holds 26% is a significant player and this would help STAR leverage its presence.

Movie acquisition is also yet another hiccup. Although STAR might have the financial muscle to acquire big titles, monetising it initially will be tough due to it being a latest player and Sun very aggressive on that front.

STAR’s first foray into the south was its Tamil channel Vijay TV. Vijay TV has managed to be a middling player, but has been unable to penetrate the Tamil market due to Sun’s dominance on the ground. The Rs 300-crore Telugu market is a the second-largest regional market after Tamil Nadu and although an equally tough market, the distribution landscape is more evenly poised.

The Hindi general entertainment genre have been under pressure with the news, kids and the regional genres witnessing a growth phase. Hence, the viewership and ad pie of general entertainment channels at large have been flat, if not faced a dip.